Blue Eyes
by Don't Mess With Aria
Summary: Months after the events of Mass Effect 3, Kaidan Alenko and Steve Cortez have some catching up to do. Some spoilers. Light romance only/first date. Part two of "After Effects" series.


Blue Eyes

Kaiden walked into Purgatory and saw a familiar face. He leaned on the bar next to where Lt. Steve Cortez sat.

"Hey, blue eyes," he said. Cortez turned, several different expressions warring on his face. Then he saw who it was and relaxed.

"Major Alenko, how've you been? I thought- ah, never mind what I thought. So is it still Major? Or it is Spectre Alenko? Major Spectre Alenko the Magnificent?"

"How about just Kaidan?" he laughed.

"All right. Then you can call me Steve, rather than 'blue eyes.'"

"We'll see," Kaidan said, and they both laughed a little. Kaidan gestured to the bartender for a couple of drinks.

"Glad to see they fixed up this place. Nice to have somewhere to go to relax, out of uniform. Although, the rest of the station is still a mess," Kaidan said.

"Yeah, well. First priority is bars and restaurants. Then they can worry about remodeling the council chambers, people's homes, public transport, all that extraneous stuff."

"So, what have you been up to, Steve?"

"Oh, you know. Half-retired, teaching sharp new pilots all the tricks."

"Oh yeah?"

"Nah. Just the basics. There are much better pilots than me. But I can show them how to get a bird up and put it back down without killing anyone," Steve said.

"Don't sell yourself short."

Steve grimaced and jokingly rolled his eyes. "What about you, Kaidan?"

"I tell you, I'm almost bored. With the Reapers gone, it's all just rebuild, rebuild, rebuild. Not much spec ops right now. Not too much of anything exciting. Half considering retiring; maybe a couple of kids would bring terror to my life again."

Steve snorted into his glass and was surprised to find it empty. Kaidan gestured for two more.

"Are you trying to get me drunk, Major Alenko?"

"No, of course not. …Well, maybe just tipsy enough to get you to accept a dinner invite."

Steve put down the fresh drink he had just picked up. His face grew serious, but he was looking straight down at the bar.

"Look, man, you should know I'm just not over my husband's death yet. I mean, I keep saying I'm good, but…." Steve trailed off.

"Hey, I'm not proposing marriage, here. Not even going to proposition you. But I'm not going to force you to do something so crazy as eat a meal with real food. If you don't want to, it's cool."

Steve thought about this for a moment.

"You know what?" he said. "I could eat something."

"Then let's go, blue eyes."

#

"Kaidan, how did you find this place?" Steve asked, sliding into his chair. There were candles, music. It was easily the nicest place he'd been in years.

"Oh, you know. One of the benefits of knowing a Spectre is, we know all the best restaurants."

They opened their menus, and Steve's eyes widened a little; there were no prices listed on the menu.

"I hope you realize I'm buying, Kaidan," he said.

"You absolutely are not."

"You got the drinks."

"I asked you out; I get to pay. You can get the next one," Kaidan insisted.

"Next one, huh? So, you've already decided there will be a second date?" Steve asked.

"I've decided I will graciously accept when you ask me." Kaidan's tone turned serious. "I don't want to push you. I know you said, with your husband-"

"Don't stress about it, Kai. I think a second date is a definite possibility. As long as you're willing to take it slow."

"So, I'm 'Kai' now? And yet you won't let me call you 'blue eyes.'"

#

Dinner was over too quickly for either of them.

"Take a walk with me?" Kaidan asked.

"Sure," Steve agreed. They made their way to one of the fake-outdoor parks scattered throughout the Citadel. No one had gotten around to fixing those yet, but the plant life was unstoppable.

"Even in the midst of destruction," Steve mused.

"Certain biological imperatives don't wait until it's convenient. Wait, that's not what I- Oh, man," Kaidan sighed.

"I knew what you meant," Steve said, laughing. He leaned against a fence surrounding the little park; wildflowers and ivy were crowded right up against it, looking for a way to escape their prison. "So tell me something, Kai. I always got the feeling you appreciated the ladies a little more. Did you and Commander Shepard ever-"

"No," Kaidan said emphatically. "No. No, no, no, _God_ no. She's- Look, this one time she was yelling at me so bad, I nearly just started crying."

"Oh, Kaidan, no," Steve said.

"No, it's not like that. That woman is terrifying. She could make any man, woman or alien on that ship cry if she wanted to. I held my ground, though." Kaidan's eyes were distant as he remembered. He shuddered abruptly.

"Do me a favor, Steve? Let's not talk about her. Just us tonight, okay?"

"Sure, Kai. No problem."

#

After a while, they had made their way to what seemed like an open field, with the stars visible above them.

"Still beautiful," Kaidan breathed.

"Yes. No matter what else happens out there, I guess there's always room for something beautiful." They stood watching the stars twinkle, and Steve reached out and slipped his hand into Kaidan's. Kaidan gave a light squeeze, and they breathed in the night.

#

"It's getting late," Kaidan said, his voice dripping with regret.

"Yes. I suppose it is. So, if I call the number you gave me, you'll answer? No fake digits?"

"I'll answer. Whenever you want that second date, or if you just want to talk. No pressure." Kaidan paused, then added, "Although you should know I will be waiting for that call."

They laughed together again. It was a good night. Kaidan started to pull away, but neither man wanted to release the other's hand. After a moment, Steve took two steps forward and planted a quick kiss on Kaidan's mouth.

"Good night, Kai," he said, then hurried off.

"Good night, blue eyes."


End file.
